Everything To Lose
by Im-AcErBiC
Summary: Cody and London have long been separated, much to the dismay of their friends, Maddie and Zack. London is currently in a relationship with someone else. Can one vacation that they were all tricked into going on rekindle the love Cody and London once had?
1. Time

**Everything To Lose**

**Chapter 1 - Time**

**A/N:** Oh man. Oh man, oh man, oh man. I really didn't wanna post this yet, as I don't have any other chapters ready, but it's Valentine's Day, and I had to post something for you guys!! Hope you likey! In true fashion in this series, every chapter will be named after a song and there will be an excerpt for each one. This one is 'Time' by Chantal Kreviazuk. This is dedicated to my good friend, Christopher.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of the characters or the show they belong to. I only own the plot.

**Summary:** Cody and London have long been seperated, much to the dismay of their friends, Maddie and Zack. London is currently in a relationship with someone else. Can one vacation that they were all tricked into going on rekindle the love Cody and London once had? How will London's new beau come into play during this vacation?

!#$&() 

_"I've looked in the mirror_

_And the world's getting clearer_

_I'll take what you give me_

_Please know that I'm learning_

_So wait for me this time"_

"Skyler Martin! Put that down right now!" London Tipton exclaimed to her seven-year-old daughter, who had just come downstairs holding a ball of clay. The young raven haired girl dropped the blue ball at once, looking confused.

"Someone's uptight," Skyler replied, crossing her arms. London chuckled.

"I know. I'm sorry honey, it's just that Jeff will be coming over soon for dinner, and I want the house to be really clean. Can you please keep your toys in your room for mommy?" London asked, stirring the contents of a pan on the stove.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. When will I see daddy again?" Skyler asked, sitting on the bottom step. London cringed at the word 'daddy', but forced a smile to her daughter.

"You'll see him when he gets back from Milan tomorrow," London sighed, turning back to what she was cooking to hide the pained expression on her face.

"Why did he leave us?" Skyler asked in a small voice, after hesitating. London turned to her daughter quickly and bit her lip before responding.

"Sweetie, he didn't leave you. He's always around when you need him," she answered, wearing a heartfelt look on her face. Skyler nodded instead of vocally prodding, for she knew her mother was in no mood to talk about whatever happened between them. But just then, Skyler had a thought.

"You never say you're divorced. Jared said his parents got a divorce," she wondered aloud, causing London to tilt her head to the side, wondering if she should go there or not. She decided there was no use in lying.

"Your daddy and I never got an official divorce. Technically, we're still married, just separated," she replied,making her way over to her daughter and sitting down beside her on the bottom step.

"So, you could still get back together if you wanted?" Skyler asked excitedly, staring up at her mother with wild eyes. London smiled sympathetically.

"I don't think that's gonna happen, baby," she said sadly, ruffling Skyler's hair. The gesture reminded her of Cody, and the way she used to do that to him. She couldn't even look at Skyler without thinking about him.

"So, when's the love of your life getting here?" Skyler asked boredly, as she normally did. It was no secret that she didn't exactly like Jeff.

"The only love of my life around here is you. And Jeff should be here any minute. Dinner's almost ready, so head upstairs and wash up," London instructed, to which Skyler complied.

Just as Skyler disappeared at the top of the stairs, London heard a knock at the door. She checked her appearance in the hall mirror crucially, feeling she could never measure up to the kind of women Jeff was used to. She didn't feel equal to him, as she once did with Cody. And there was that name again.

London groaned, annoyed with herself, and opened the door with a smile. On the other side, a man with hair as dark as London's and dark eyes to match stood, dressed in a brown leather jacket and dark pants. He greeted London with a kiss to the cheek, and trudged inside, looking around.

"Where's little one?" He asked, referring to the miniature version of London.

"Oh, she's upstairs. She should be down any minute, though," London answered, closing the door behind him.

As if on cue, Skyler bounced downstairs seconds later, seating herself instantly at the table to avoid greeting Jeff. Her brown hair hid her face as she leaned forward in her chair so Jeff could not see her eyes. For some reason, she didn't like him looking in her eyes.

"Hey there, Skye," Jeff said cheerfully, sitting down across from her.

"Hi," she simply said, forcing a small smile. She didn't want him calling her that. Only her mommy and daddy could call her that. Skyler looked hopefully up at London.

"Is dinner ready yet, mommy?" She asked, placing her hands in parallel positions on the table in front of her.

"Yep, it should be about done. You wanna help me bring everything in here?" London asked her daughter.

"Yeah!" Skyler answered excitedly, happy for any reason to get away from Jeff.

Minutes later, the two had carried in a large spaghetti dinner, complete with garlic rolls and water.

"Wow, this looks fantastic," Jeff stated, looking at London.

"Thank you," she replied with a smile. Skyler simply looked disgusted, and began fixing her plate rather than watch the two foolish adults.

Skyler began eating immediately, not bothering to wait for her mother or Jeff, as she wanted to get this uncomfortable dinner over with as soon as possible.

Just as London sat down, the phone began to ring. She sighed and got back up, unable to even start eating.

"Be back in a sec," she said. Skyler watched her mother go with wide eyes, knowing she'd be left alone with Jeff. She elected not to look at him.

"Why don't you run upstairs, and give your mother and I a bit of alone time?" Jeff said suddenly, receiving an confused look from the nervous child.

Skyler thought for a minute, and realized it was a way out.

"Okay, I guess..." Skyler trailed off, still slightly confused. She hopped up out of her chair and floated upstairs, elated that she'd gotten out of it that quickly.

Her mother was equally elated for different reasons. When she picked up the ringing phone, she got a pleasant surprise.

"Maddie?!" She squealed, before sturggling to contain herself. She hadn't heard from her good friend Maddie Fitzpatrick-Martin in two months.

"Hey, London! What's up?" The voice on the other line greeted.

"Not a lot, just having dinner with Jeff and Skye...you?" London replied, happily leaning against the wall next to the phone.

"Oh, not much. Just trying to get the grass stains out of Tyler's soccer uniform. But anyway, to the reason I was calling. Zack, Ty and I were planning a holiday trip to Aspen, Colorado to a ski resort there. We were planning to stay there until New Year's and just hang out, go skiing, ice-skating and do all sorts of fun things. We would absolutely _love_ if you guys could join us. Please come?" Maddie explained, a sound of desperation in her voice.

London sighed.

"Geez, Mads, I don't know about that. New Year's is two weeks away, and you know Skye doesn't do well sleeping away from home," London replied, unsure of the plan.

"I'm sure she'll be fine with you there! Come on girl, we haven't done anything like this in so long!" Maddie responded.

London bit her lip and smiled slightly.

"Alright, I'll go. But under one condition: Jeff has to come, too," London replied, noting that Maddie's excitement had switched to disappointment.

"Oh, sure. I suppose he could come, too. Well, I'll fly up with you guys to show you where it is, and Zack'll meet us up there with Ty. He has some stuff to do before we leave. We'll go on Friday," Maddie answered, her voice a bit lower now.

London glanced at the calender, seeing that it was Wednesday, learning the big trip would be in two days.

"Got it. See you on Friday," London concluded, clicking her tongue from behind her teeth.

"Okay. Give Skyler my love!" Maddie instructed, before hanging up.

London hung up as well, clenching her teeth in a thoughtful manner. Just why did Maddie act so disappointed when London suggested Jeff come? Was there an ulterior motive to the vacation? London knew she wouldn't be able to shake the thought. She knew it'd be there in her mind for a while, but she tried her best to ignore it.

She headed back into the dining room, and found Jeff there.

"Hey. That was my friend Maddie! She invited the three of us to Aspen on a family vacation this weekend," London told him, sitting down in her chair.

"That sounds great," Jeff replied, having not touched his food since London left the table.

London smiled, before looking to her left and realizing Skyler was no longer down there.

"I think she got a little upset that I was here, and she stormed off upstairs," He lied, chuckling. London's mouth dropped open, she glared in the direction of the staircase. She lifted herself from the chair with ease.

"I'll set her straight," London said angrily, but Jeff caught her arm softly and pulled her onto his lap.

"Hon, just let her cool down. I'm sure she just wants to see her dad," he said softly, holding onto London's hand protectively.

"Well, that gives her no right to be so rude. I didn't raise her that way," London sighed, biting her lip as she often did when contemplating.

"Well, it must be hard on her. New guy, new situation. It'll take some getting used to. She just has to get her frustrations out, and it'll get better," Jeff clarified, convincingly. London still couldn't tell that he was lying right to her face. Instead, she smiled at him warmly.

"You are so great," she cooed, before planting a softly kiss on Jeff's lips. Hopefully, she'd be able to get through the following day when Cody came back to Boston as well as she'd gotten through this awkward dinner.

**A/N:** Well, that was the first chapter. Did you guys like it? I hope so! It almost made me sick to write London with another guy, because I so loyally ship Lody. LOL. But yeah, the next chapter should be interesting. Cody comes back from Italy and spends the day with Skyler and London! Uh oh...anyways, love ya! Ciao!

**xoxo Trish**


	2. I Dare You To Move

**Everything To Lose**

**Chapter 2 - I Dare You To Move**

**A/N:** FINALLLY, chapter 2 is herrrrrre!! Let's skip the chit chat, and get to the story. Oh, well, one piece of chit chat: the song in this is 'Dare You to Move' by Switchfoot.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the show or characters, or the song used.

**Chapter Summary:** London sees Cody again for the first time in six months. He has a surprise for her and Skyler.

!#&()+

_"I dare you to move_

_I dare you to move_

_Like today never happened_

_Today never happened before"_

"Skye, you were supposed to be helping me pack!" London yelled out her bedroom door, before going back to sift through more suitcases. It was Thursday, the day before the trip to Aspen, and London was in a tailspin.

Her daughter soon appeared in the doorway, looking as anxious as London had ever seen her.

"What's got you so riled up?" London asked, concerned for her daughter's mental help.

"Daddy just called! He wants us to meet him at the park!" Skyler replied happily.

"Now? It doesn't have to be now, right?" London wondered tiredly, out of breath from all the excitement of travel preparations.

"Yep, it has to be right now! He said he had a surprise for us!" Skyler answered, causing London to sigh.

She really had a lot to get done before the trip, and Cody wasn't making things any easier for her. She understood that he and Skyler wanted to see each other, but he would always find a way to drop in at the most inopportune moments. London groaned at the thought, but looked at her daughter's hopeful expression.

"Go grab your coat," she decided, watching Skyler skip out of the room happily.

She took the opportunity of her daughter's absence to scurry around her bedroom, pulling clothes out of the closet. She was, after all, going to see her husband who she was now separated from, and she had to look great. She had no idea why she wanted to look perfect for Cody, but she knew it was crucial.

London settled on a white, off-the-shoulder sweater and black dress pants, finishing off her look with black, heeled boots and a wide headband, before pulling her hair up.

She surveyed herself in the mirror, as she often did, and nodded, satisfied.

Skyler's head poked around the door with a knowing smile.

"So, you're excited to see him, too," she teased, crossing her arms. London furrowed her eyebrows.

"I always dress up before going out," London covered mendaciously, grabbing her jacket from the coat rack.

"That's funny. You don't wear stuff like that to the store..." Skyler trailed off, smartly. London shot Skyler a playful glare and instructed her to go get her shoes on.

The walk to the park was paved in snow. Skyler had convinced London that they could walk, as their house was not very far from the infamous Liberty Park.

As they neared the snowy landmark, the sight before their eyes shocked them: there was barely any snow on the ground, as most of it had been scraped up. The purpose of this made itself blatantly clear seconds later, making London become cold and feeble. Her breath caught in her throat and goosebumps rose to her skin.

Scattered across the park as far as the eye could see were dozens of snowmen, each of them having ears like a teddy bear and carrot noses. Skyler squealed in delight, running towards the horde of snowmen. Even London caught herself smiling before realizing Cody was nowhere in sight.

Skyler seemingly approached each of the snowmen, wanting to take in the appearance of every one of them, as if they would soon melt under the heat of the sun.

"I wonder where daddy is," Skyler thought aloud, a bit of sadness in the folds of her voice. She leaned against the large tree in the center of the park, before hearing an odd chuckling noise from its branches. Her head shot up in the direction of the top of the tree, only to have a man with striking blonde hair jump down at her.

"Daddy!" Skyler shouted with glee, running at the man for all she was worth.

"Hi, baby," Cody laughed, happy to see his daughters smiling face.

London also felt the corners of her mouth tug upward, and she soon found herself laughing out loud.

Cody had now chosen to start a tickle fight with Skyler, not acknowledging London's presence at first. He finally caught her eye in a swift motion, momentarily forgetting Skyler was even there when he saw how beautiful London looked. Skyler looked from her mother to her father, her eyes lighting up at the moment between them.

"How've you been?" London asked him politely, trying her best to ignore the fact that he looked quite taken with her.

"You look great," he commented, ignoring her question. London tugged at her coat and grinned sheepishly.

Skyler rolled her eyes at the 'junior high' attitude of both her parents.

"Um, thanks. So do you. So, how was the shoot in Milan?" London asked, just trying to make conversation.

She was referring to Cody's career as a photographer. He traveled to many different countries to photograph the landmarks, the nature and the wildlife. He had spent the month in Milan, Italy, on an important assignment. He hadn't seen Skyler or London since the day he left.

"Oh, it was smooth sailing. I got to eat bugs," Cody joked, throwing a goofy smile at Skyler, who giggled.

"So...how long did this take you?" London thought aloud, bypassing Cody and motioning to all the snowmen.

"Oh, well my flight arrived late last night, so I figured I'd surprise you guys," he replied, picking up Skyler with ease.

"Thank you, daddy," Skyler said sweetly, wrapping her arms around her father's neck.

"Anything for you, princess," Cody told her, planting a kiss on her cheek.

"You always were good at the big romantic gestures," London muttered under her breath, bitterly.

"I was thinking about taking Skyler to Burger Barn," Cody stated, causing London to turn around.

"Okay, that's fine. Just have her home by 7," London replied, looking uneasy.

"Join us?" Cody asked her, catching her off guard. London whipped her head back to meet his eyes, only to see unfeined kindness in them.

"Um, well. I kinda have a lot to do today," London told him, not exactly lying.

"Sorry. I won't take no for an answer," Cody responded, in a mellifluous voice. The dinner date appeared to be peremptory. London, not thinking, smiled at him and nodded. She inwardly screamed at herself for falling for his unequivocal generosity once again. And, damn him for being so sweet and making her do so.

"Great. Just like old times," he broke through her thoughts. And, across London's mind, a glimmer of desperation and longing for those old times he spoke of ripped through her senses. If only happy families could always be happy.

If only it could be assured that loving marriages were perpetual.

"Yeah. Like old times," London said finally, before catching up to Cody and Skyler on their way to the restaurant they often ate at in the past.

"I can't believe they took the Ginormous Mega-burger off the menu," Cody stated, more to himself than London or Skyler.

"A lot of things about Boston have changed since you've been gone," London said, a slightly bitter tone overtaking her voice. There was a slight metaphorical 'stab' in there.

"I noticed," Cody replied, not catching it. London was amused at the way he could be so smart and yet so stupid at the same time.

"I want the usual," Skyler informed them matter-of-factly, trying to sound older than she was.

"Yes ma'am," London teased her daughter, before picking her up and falling behind Cody in the line to order their food.

Doing so was a breeze for London. Her normalcy had grown immeasurably over the years since she'd given birth to Skyler. Eating at fast food restaurants, spending more time at supermarkets than department stores, and wearing more low-key clothing.

"You're not giving her too much fast food, are you?" Cody asked jokingly, only to receive a glare from London.

"Right, I'm going to take nutrition advice from the guy who dared her to eat a dog biscuit," London replied coldly, even though Cody took it as a joke.

"I didn't think she'd really do it!" He chuckled in response.

"Well, she does whatever you tell her. Sometimes, that's not so good," London shot back, finally smiling and joking with him. Cody smiled, before looking down at the floor in mock-shame.

Skyler just grinned as widely as she could, at the comedic exchange between her parents. Maybe things were finally starting to look up.

Their dinner was filled with laughter and reminiscing, and they all enjoyed it, although London wasn't quick to admit it.

"So, how's Jeff?" Cody asked, all fun ceasing the moment he asked that. Cody said it in a tone that indicated he didn't really care about Jeff, but he wanted some sort of sign of his relationship with London. Skyler's face fell at the mention of her mother's new boyfriend. The situation with her parents was very confusing for her at times, but she acted as though she understood it as not to cause too much trouble.

"Oh, he's fine. Still in accounting," London answered in a positive voice, as though she were excited to talk about him. To tell the truth, she was just happy to think about something other than how sweet Cody was and how much she missed him. But, separated couples were supposed to feel that way, right? London guessed so, but wouldn't that mean they'd get back together? London didn't plan on that, even though deep down, she wanted him back. But they'd broken up for a reason, and that was the bottom line.

_What was that reason, again?_ London thought to herself. _Oh yeah..._

_**Flashback**_

_"I told you not to take Skyler to your friend Richard's! He's a bad influence on her, and you know that," London yelled at her husband, absent-mindedly picking up toys and placing them neatly in their proper place. Cody rolled his eyes, and readied himself for a fight._

_"But no. You couldn't listen to me. That was a bit too complicated for you. My instructions weren't quite your style, so you took her anyway!" London continued, causing Cody to furrow his eyebrows in anger._

_"Your _instructions_? Since when did it become okay for you to slap me with lists of rules?!" Cody blasted off, his hands at his sides firmly._

_"I'd _like_ to hit you with something else. But anyway, maybe if I gave you rules a bit more often, our daughter wouldn't grow up acting as immaturely as you do," London retorted, standing akimbo. Cody's jaw dropped._

_" _I'm_ acting immature? You're the one who feels the need to tell everyone else what to do. You are the most controlling person I've ever met," Cody said, an irritated chuckled coming at the end of his comeback._

_"I don't have a choice but to be controlling. You let our five-year-old daughter do whatever she damn-well pleases!" London shot back._

_"She's a kid. She's supposed to enjoy that time in her life. Instead, you just keep her here making her do crossword puzzles while you kick back and relax, as her life is slowly going down the toilet!" Cody scolded her, ignoring the hurt look she gathered._

_"I'm...I'm just trying to protect her," London said in a raspy voice, tears springing to her eyes. He was way off base...wasn't he?_

_"You know, you used to be a fun, outgoing person. Now, you're just driving Skye crazy. And, you're driving me crazy too, for that matter," Cody continued, as though she had not spoken._

_"Then leave! No one is holding a gun to your head, making you stay here! In fact, I think we'd all be a lot happier if these little 'arguments' would stop completely. So, by all means, go," London said calmly, watching as he turned away from her and walked out the door._

_She'd never let him know how hard she had cried after he left. She didn't really want him to go, she just thought that's what he wanted to hear. And, evidently, it was, because he did leave._

_**End Flashback**_

Those memories haunted London everyday of her life. She'd take those words back in a heartbeat if she could, but she knew it was too late for that. They were way better off this way.

Even though London sometimes cried herself to sleep thinking about the fateful day that had ended their relationship. And even though she sometimes kissed Jeff, wishing she was kissing Cody. Because no one had ever kissed her quite like he had. He would kiss her in a way that would assure her that she'd found her soulmate. But obviously, all that 'soulmate' talk was rubbish...right?

The dinner continued without incident, until finally, it was time for London and Skyler to part ways with Cody.

"Well, thanks for the date, ladies. I think it's best that I head back home," Cody said, patting his stomach in a way that made both Skyler and London laugh. The real reason London was laughing was the fact that Cody had referred to their dinner as a date.

This reminded her of how Cody would walways take her on dates, even when they were married. Granted, Jeff took her on dates too...he just wasn't as creative...

"When's the next time I'll see you?" Skyler asked her father, her chin resting on her arms. She was one of the most mature seven-year-olds he'd ever laid eyes on.

"I think next week. I have to go out of town again this week, but I won't be gone for very long," Cody relented, finishing in a promising tone.

"Okay," Skyler said, disappointedly.

Cody didn't want to tell her where he was going, because she'd want to go to, and Cody wasn't sure London would be up for that. He thought it best not to bring it up.

"Well, thank you for inviting me. I had fun," London told Cody in a casual manner, unlike the uptight behavior she'd exhibited before.

"Anytime," Cody replied, getting up from the table, the duo with him following suit. They all slid their coats on and made for the door, before realizing Cody would be going in a different direction.

"Well, I guess I'll see you girls later," Cody announced, in a playful tone.

"Bye, daddy. I love you very much," Skyler concluded in an infantile way, squeezing him as tightly as she could. She significantly stepped aside so Cody and London could say their proper goodbyes, which the young girl hoped would be very affectionate.

Cody and London stared at each other ungainly for a few seconds before taking some short steps towards each other.

Cody approached London with a nervous smile, before kissing her on the cheek sweetly. London ignored the tingling sensation he left on her skin.

"I'll, um, I'll see you next week," London said, trying not to smile as brightly as she was.

"See you then," he said, before stepping outside into the cold weather.

And London watched him walk away, not understanding her feelings for him at that particular moment. He sent her emotions in an uproar whenever he came around. This time was no different. If one dinner made her rethink her decision to end her relationship with him, she couldn't imagine what more time would do. She almost didn't hear Skyler when she spoke next.

"Mommy, we forgot to tell daddy that we're leaving tomorrow with Aunt Maddie for that place with all the snow," Skyler told her mother worriedly.

"It's alright, sweetie. We won't be gone that long. And besides, he's going out of town for a week, too," London said, comfortingly.

If only she knew...

**A/N:** OMFG, finally!! That chapter was a total bitch to write. Yeah, that's right chapter. I called you a bitch. Anyways, the reason for that being I got so stuck. It became almost depressing to write, because I thought I would never finish it...but YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY, it's finally out of the way. The updates should start getting a bit more frequent. Well, loves you all! Ciao!

**xoxo Trishy**


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